Within the field of audio telecommunications, there has been a large growth of voice message systems that provide an opportunity for a caller to leave a voice message if the desired recipient, or user, is unavailable. These voice message systems may be either local, supporting a single telecommunication circuit, or they may be network based, supporting multiple telecommunication circuits. A telecommunication circuit includes telephone lines within the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), in addition to other services (e.g. wireless). Typically, a user or recipient will establish a form of voice mail box, where messages are collected, stored, and maintained according to the recipient's instruction. According to the recipient's instructions, the voice message system will respond to a caller and provide them with various options. Prior to recording a caller's voice message in the voice mail box, the voice message system typically plays an outgoing announcement greeting.
Today's voice message systems typically provide recipients the ability to manage their announcement greetings for the purpose of providing a personalized outgoing greeting to incoming callers. Typically, the recorded greeting serves to provide the caller with notification of the recipient's status, i.e. "I am out of the office today and will return on Monday. Please leave your name and number." The voice message system often has the capability to store multiple outgoing greetings, though only one greeting may be active at a time. This active outgoing greeting is typically heard by the calling party, but not by the recipient, unless the recipient calls their own number directly, or checks the voice message administration area. As a result, the recipient has no reminder or notification of the currently active greeting. Specifically, when the recipient checks their voice mail box for stored messages, there is no indication as to which outgoing greeting is currently active. As a result, the recipient may inadvertently have an outdated greeting announcement.
None of the current voice mail systems provide an ability for the recipient to readily identify the active outgoing greeting. Specifically, none notify the recipient of the active greeting when they check or retrieve voice mail messages.
For many recipients, a primary greeting that is active for normal activity will be established, with secondary greetings recorded and active for unusual circumstances. These unusual circumstances might include planned travel or vacation. In some of these unusual circumstances, the length of time for the secondary greeting to be active is known in advance. At the end of the time, the primary greeting will be automatically restored. However, the current systems do not automatically restore the primary greeting. Rather, on the date that the greeting is to be changed, the recipient must manually enter the voice mail administration area and re-activate the primary greeting.
None of the existing systems automatically revert the outgoing greeting to the primary greeting at a predetermined date according to the recipient's instructions.